


The Great Christmas Light Fight

by stirringofmysoul



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No One Direction, Christmas, Family, Hallmark Christmas Movies, Implied Mpreg, Kids, M/M, Mpreg Louis, Parent Liam Payne, Parent Louis Tomlinson, Single Parent Liam, Single Parent Louis, hallmark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-16 02:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16945527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stirringofmysoul/pseuds/stirringofmysoul
Summary: When Liam Payne moves to Maple Ridge he gets more than he bargained for in his new neighbor, Louis Tomlinson. (or Liam, Louis, meddling kids, and lots of garland)





	The Great Christmas Light Fight

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place in an alternative universe where One Direction does not exist. I do not own Liam or Louis. I do, however, own all original characters.
> 
> Warning: This story contains boys kissing, slight swearing, and shades of mpreg.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Friday, November 23, 2018_

BANG!

The sound jerked seven-year-old Penelope Tomlinson awake from quite a marvelous dream in which she was a witch saving her classmates from a fire-breathing dragon (much like her hero Harry Potter). She squeezed her eyes shut tighter in an attempt to fall back to sleep and finish her quest. 

BANG! BANG! 

Penelope groaned as her eyelids fluttered open. The continual pounding did not appear to be letting up anytime soon. As she adjusted to the quasi-dark state of her bedroom she squinted in an attempt to read the clock (a wasted effort without her glasses). She reached her arm out from under the covers, pushing her dark brown hair away from her face with her left hand as her right fumbled for her purple frames. 

“6:30,” she mumbled to herself as the numbers came into focus. That was even earlier than she got up on a school day…and today was a holiday (well, it was Black Friday). The point was no one should be up this early. 

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Penelope pushed her Gryffindor comforter (countless quizzes confirmed this was her house) aside and scooted out of bed. She padded over to her bedroom window and peeked out through the curtains. 

Louis Tomlinson was standing on the front lawn surrounded by dozens of inflatable Christmas decorations. Penelope couldn’t help but laugh as her father fought what appeared to be a losing battle with a 12 foot inflatable Santa Claus. 

Louis took that moment to look up, spotting Penelope in the window. He waved for his daughter to come down and join him. Penelope wished she didn’t have her glasses on…then she could feign ignorance…saying she hadn’t seen him. 

It was like clockwork. As soon as the calendar hit December 26th Louis loaded her in the car and they headed to the nearest Walmart, Target, Menards, etc. to take advantage of the markdowns on holiday decorations. Once these new conquests were inventoried life was relatively normal until June. Then out came the iPad. Louis studied the latest trends in outdoor décor and reviewed pictures of their yard from the previous year (he didn’t like to repeat the same themes). Before the last bite of Thanksgiving turkey was even settled in her stomach her father was outside hanging lights, trimming their Evergreen, and, for lack of a better term, going Christmas crazy (if it wasn’t for town regulations he would probably start even earlier). 

“Hey, sleeping beauty…there you are,” Louis said as Penelope walked out onto the front porch in her purple puffer coat. 

“Daddy, the sun is barely up,” Penelope pointed out. 

“Good…that means I’ve already got the garland up on the porch and haven’t lost any daylight,” he replied. He knelt back down to resume his crusade to get Santa upright. 

Penelope had been through this exact scenario enough times to know that resistance was futile. She hopped down the steps and retrieved the wooden snowflake cut-outs from the bright red tote at the bottom of the porch. 

“That’s my girl,” Louis said fondly as he turned on the fan attached to Santa’s boot. “He’s alive!” he exclaimed as the jolly old fat man rose to his full height. 

Penelope suppressed a laugh. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage her father. She set her step stool in front of the porch and began tying snowflakes to the railing. 

This year’s theme was Country Winter Wonderland. All of the décor had a rustic feel to it. With all the madness going on in the world Louis wanted people to feel a sense of peace when they saw his outdoor display. 

“Good morning!” a voice called out, breaking through the otherwise quiet morning. 

Louis and Penelope looked up and saw a man waving at them from the house two doors down. 

“Who is that?” he whispered to his daughter as he returned the wave. 

Penelope shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe he’s visiting,” she replied. The town of Maple Ridge wasn’t that big. She went back to the task at hand. Hopefully if she finished quickly she could go back inside. 

The snow crunched under the waving man’s boots as he walked up their front path. “This is quite a set up you’ve got here,” he said. 

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The way to Louis’ heart was to compliment his Christmas decorations. 

“Oh, this?” Louis said modestly. “It’s just a little something to get everyone in the spirit.” 

Penelope snickered to herself. Louis was so proud his chest was practically puffing up. 

“You’ve definitely peaked my interest,” he replied with a laugh. “I’m Liam Payne,” he introduced himself. 

“Hi, Liam,” Louis replied. “I’m Louis Tomlinson. That’s my daughter, Penelope.” 

Penelope gave a little wave. 

Liam returned her wave with a warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you both,” he said. 

Louis reached for the next inflatable (Frosty the Snowman). “Are you visiting for the holiday?” he asked him. “We don’t see a lot of new faces around here.” 

“Let me give you hand with that,” Liam said and began to help him unfold Frosty’s body. 

“Thanks,” Louis replied, kicking the inflatable’s box to the side. 

“No worries,” Liam said to him. “To answer your question I’m not visiting. I’m your new neighbor.” 

“Oh, I didn’t realize Roxanne’s place sold already,” Louis replied, referring to the woman who had lived in the house previously. 

“Yep,” Liam confirmed. “My son and I just moved in yesterday, actually.” 

“Really?” Louis said, his eyebrow quirking up. “On Thanksgiving?” 

Liam chuckled. “The perks of having a brother-in-law with a truck,” he said. “He and I drove out here in the morning to unload and then headed back to my sister’s for dinner.” 

“Ah, we were at my sister’s yesterday. She lives about an hour outside of Maple Ridge,” Louis explained. 

“That’s probably why you didn’t see us,” Liam reasoned. 

“Probably,” he agreed. “Well, welcome to the neighborhood.” 

“Thank you,” Liam replied. “Once we’re settled in we’ll have to have you, your daughter, and your wife over for dinner.” 

“It’s just me and Penny,” Louis clarified. “My ex-husband and I are divorced. But yes, dinner would be nice.” 

“Oh, sorry about that,” Liam apologized. 

Louis waved his hand. “No problem,” he assured him. “You said you have a son?” 

“Mmmhmm. His name is Lucas. He’s seven-years-old. It’s just the two of us…as well,” Liam said. “Divorce,” he clarified. 

“Oh, I see,” Louis said sympathetically. 

“Yeah…” Liam replied with an awkward chuckle. 

“Penny’s seven too. She can show your son the ropes at school,” Louis offered, wanting to help this fellow single dad out. 

Penelope looked up when she heard her name. Her dad was always volunteering her for things without consulting her first. 

“Really? That would be brilliant. Lucas is a little on the quiet side,” Liam explained. “I’m sure he’d feel better about school if he had a buddy.” 

Louis gave Penelope a look. She smiled over at her new neighbor. “Yeah, I can totally help him,” she piped up. 

“You’re very sweet. Thank you,” Liam said to her. 

“You know…we have plenty of leftovers. Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?” Louis suggested. 

“Are you sure?” Liam asked as he got back up to his feet. 

“Of course I am. Come over around 5,” Louis replied. 

Liam smiled brightly. “We’ll be there. It was nice to meet you both,” he said before turning to walk back towards his house. He skidded a little on the ice and again Penelope had to suppress a laugh. Liam chuckled with embarrassment as he righted himself. 

“Are you sure you’re up for company today?” Penelope asked once Liam was out of earshot. 

Louis had returned to work on bringing Frosty to life. “Why not?” he asked her. 

She abandoned her snowflakes and crouched onto the ground next to him. “Because usually you spend the entire day after Thanksgiving working outside,” she replied. 

Louis wrapped his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze. “We’re doing it in stages this year. Today it’s the porch and half the blow-ups. Then tomorrow it’s lights and the rest of the blow-ups. Sunday is solely dedicated to decorating the Evergreen,” he explained. 

Penelope looked up at him from the crook of his arm. “We?” she asked him. 

“We’re a team, aren’t we?” he said, nuzzling his nose to hers. 

They really were a team in every sense of the word. Her fathers divorced when she was four. She didn’t remember much about their family of three other than the two of them arguing…a lot. Things were better now, though. Her other father, Sebastian, traveled for his job so she only saw him a few times a year. He always sent presents and cards for the holidays and her birthday, but Louis was her day to day dad. The one who went to parent-teacher conferences and sat up with her when she was sick. 

One on one time with him was hard to come by during December so if helping him decorate was the only way to guarantee some togetherness she’d take it. 

“Yep,” she confirmed. “We’re a team.” 

***

Lucas looked up from his Kindle when he heard the front door open. His dad was back from whatever early morning adventure he had just gone on…hopefully it involved breakfast. He set down his device and slid out of bed. He padded across the floor and to the hallway where he saw his father opening the door to his own room. 

“Hey, buddy,” Liam said when he spotted his son. “You awake already?” 

Lucas shrugged his shoulder. “I couldn’t sleep,” he explained. It was going to take him a while to get used to his new surroundings. 

“Do you want to come hang out with me for a little bit?” Liam asked, pushing the door to his room open wider. 

Lucas nodded his head and followed his father into his room. He pushed himself up onto the bed and crawled under the covers. 

Liam settled in beside him, slipping his arm around his son. He pressed a kiss to the top of his light brown hair. “Did you have a hard time falling asleep?” he asked him. 

Lucas snuggled in against Liam’s arm. “Yeah, I heard a lot of weird sounds,” he explained. 

“It’s just the house settling,” Liam assured him. “And it’s probably more noticeable here without all the commotion of the city.” 

“Probably,” Lucas agreed. “Did you go outside?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I heard some noise out there. Our neighbor is decorating for his yard for Christmas,” Liam explained. 

Little warning bells went off in Lucas’ head. Last year was their first Christmas without his other father, Ray, so they had gone away for the holiday, but this year they’d be home. Liam was a Christmas fanatic. He decorated both the inside and outside of their home as if the entire season depended on it. Ray always used to joke he was a single parent during December because Liam was always so busy with light hanging and tree trimming. 

Now that Lucas really only had one parent he was worried he’d be on his own for a whole month. 

“Oh, cool…” Lucas replied. 

“We’re going to have to get started so we have our decorations up long enough to enjoy them,” Liam said. 

Lucas felt his heart sink. “We don’t have to do like…everything,” he said. 

“Oh, buddy…I know we didn’t really celebrate last year, but this year is going to be like old times,” Liam assured him. 

Which is exactly what Lucas was afraid of. 

***

For the second time that day Penelope was jolted awake by her father. 

“Penny!” Louis called from the kitchen. “Come here, please!” 

She untangled herself from her blanket cocoon on the couch, stretching her limbs outward. She fumbled for her glasses. 

“Penny…I don’t hear feet moving!” Louis added. 

“They’re moving slowly,” she replied, tapping her feet on the ground from her sitting position. 

“Ha, ha, smart alec,” Louis said with a snort. 

Following the scent of turkey and potatoes she wandered into the kitchen with her Marauders Map blanket wrapped around herself. 

“Well, well…look what the cat dragged in,” he teased her. “Go wash your hands and maybe comb your hair. It’s sticking up a little funny.” He wiggled his fingers…which she assumed was some kind of commentary on her bedhead. 

Penelope shrugged out of her blanket, letting it drop to the floor in a puddle. Louis shot her a look. She smiled sweetly as she folded it up before neatly placing it on the bench under the window. 

“Thank you,” he said to her.

Penelope walked towards the sink, smoothing her hair down with the palm of her hand. Her brush was all the way upstairs and that was way too far to walk. 

“P, can you finish setting the table when you’re done?” Louis asked as the doorbell rang. 

”Yep,” she confirmed. Once she was clean Penelope got to work on adding silverware to each place setting. She heard the sounds of hellos and boots and coats being shed before Liam and his son walked into the kitchen. 

“Hi again, Penelope…or is it Penny?” Liam greeted her. 

“Penelope,” she told him. Only her dad called her Penny. “Hi, hi…”

Liam gave his son a little nudge. “Hi…my name is Lucas,” he mumbled. 

“Cool shirt,” Penelope said, admiring his Hufflepuff hoodie. “I’m in Gryffindor, but Hufflepuff is neat too.” 

“Thank you,” Lucas replied with a little smile. 

Liam seemed to visibly relax. “See, bud, I told you-you and Penelope would get along,” he said. 

“I have lot of Harry Potter stuff in my room. Do you want to see?” Penelope asked him. 

Lucas looked up at Liam for permission. “Go ahead,” he encouraged him. 

“Follow me!” Penelope said and led the way. 

“Wow, you guys had a feast yesterday,” Liam commented as Louis joined him in the kitchen. The counter was covered in every side dish imaginable. 

“My sister knows I’m a terrible cook so she takes pity on me and sends me home with enough food for an army,” Louis said with a chuckle. 

“Do you need any help?” Liam asked him. 

“Could you start putting the sides on the table?” he asked him. “I’m going to check on the turkey.” 

“I can do that,” Liam replied, grabbing a dish of corn casserole. 

Louis opened up the oven to peek in on the bird. “How did you find Maple Ridge? It’s not exactly a bustling metropolis,” he asked him. 

“My family vacationed here one summer,” Liam explained. “It always just kind of stuck with me. I work from home so I can set up base wherever.” 

Louis nodded his head as he pulled the tray of turkey out of the oven. “That makes things easier,” he replied. “I’m a teacher at the high school.” 

“What do you teach?” Liam asked as he reached for the dish of mashed potatoes. 

“English,” he said to him. “And I run the small, but mighty drama department.” 

“I would have been a nightmare for you,” Liam said with a chuckle. “I was lousy at grammar and dissecting literature.” 

“You probably just didn’t have a very good teacher,” Louis reasoned as he slid the turkey from the warming tray onto a big platter. 

“Eh…” Liam trailed off. “It was probably 98% me. Thank goodness Lucas didn’t inherit that. He loves to read.” 

“Penny too,” Louis confirmed. “Lucas seems very sweet,” 

“Thank you,” Liam proudly replied. “Let me get that for you,” he said, taking the platter from Louis. They continued moving around the kitchen with a practiced ease. “I’m a little worried about him. He’s had a lot of big changes for someone so young and here I am adding another one to his life,” Liam admitted. 

“Kids are resilient. How long have you been divorced?” Louis asked. 

“Just about a year,” Liam said to him. “But things were over long before that.” 

“That really sucks,” Louis said sincerely. 

“No kidding,” Liam replied. “It took a long time to get things finalized so once everything was settled I decided we needed a fresh start.” 

“I hope it works out for you,” Louis said as he looked at the spread before them. “Do you think the table can support all of this food?” 

Liam laughed. “We better get started on it, huh?” he said. 

“Penny! Lucas! Soup’s on!” Louis called, his voice echoing off the walls. 

_Sunday, November 25, 2018_

As soon as Louis had mentioned Maple Ridge’s outdoor holiday display contest at dinner the other night Lucas knew he was doomed. Once he and his father had gotten back home Liam had begun chatting non-stop about all his ideas for turning their yard into a snow globe. 

Lucas patiently stood with a string of white twinkly lights wrapped around his outstretched hands. He and his father had been outside for an hour and had hardly made a dent in their Christmas decorating. 

“To the left, buddy,” Liam called out. 

Lucas dutifully stepped to the side as his father wrapped the lights around the railing on their porch. His mind began to wander. He was not looking forward to going to school the next day. The thought of being the new kid filled him with a sense of dread. 

“What do we have here?” Louis called out, interrupting his thoughts. 

Lucas looked over to his neighbor’s driveway and saw Louis exiting his Range Rover. He unlocked the back door and Penelope hopped out. She gave him a wave. He tried to wave back, but the lights on his hands prevented it. 

“Oh, hey,” Liam said. “Luc and I were just getting into the spirit,” he explained. 

Louis took Penelope’s hand as they walked over to survey the front yard. “White lights…interesting touch,” he mused. 

Penelope felt a knot start to form in the pit of her stomach. Her father was using THAT voice. The one where he was acting like he knew better than you. 

“We’re going for a snow globe look,” Liam explained. 

“Cool, cool,” Louis replied. “I didn’t realize you were going to decorate outside.” 

“Oh, yeah…we always go all out,” he said. 

Ah, yes…that all too familiar ‘we’. Penelope stole a glance at Lucas who looked about as thrilled as Harry Potter when he had to face the Basilisk. 

“Well, we will leave you to it,” Louis said as he gave the house one last look. “See you around.” 

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Penelope called out to Lucas over her shoulder. 

“See you,” Lucas echoed. 

***

“Wow, it’s amateur hour over there,” Louis snickered once they were inside. 

Penelope sat down on the bottom step so she could unlace her boots. “What does that mean?” she asked. 

“It means their decorations aren’t as nice as ours,” Louis explained as he shrugged out of his coat. 

“Oh,” she said, knitting her eyebrows. “I thought they looked good.” 

“I guess they’re nice enough,” Louis replied. “But they don’t stand a chance against ours.” 

“Do you mean they won’t win the contest?” Penelope asked. 

Louis snorted. “P, they won’t even place,” he said. 

Penelope never understood what the big deal about winning the contest was. The 1st place house got a golden wreath trophy and what Louis’ called ‘bragging rights’…whatever that meant. 

“Isn’t it more important that people see the decorations and feel happy?” she asked him. 

“Of course that’s part of it,” he said. “But there are other parts of it too.” 

Penelope just shrugged her shoulders. “Can I go read now?” she asked him. 

“Yes, you can…my favorite daughter,” he replied. 

“Daddddddy, I’m your only daughter,” Penelope said as she skipped up to her room. 

She could hear him putting his coat back on. “I’ll be outside if you need me!” he yelled. 

_Monday, November 26, 2018_

“Have a good day, buddy,” Liam said as he walked Lucas to the front of the elementary school. 

Lucas looked up at the building. It wasn’t Azkaban, but it looked a bit intimidating. 

“Do you want me to walk you in?” he asked him when his son didn’t attempt to move. 

“Hi Luc,” Penelope said as she ran up the steps and put her hand on his arm. “Come on in…we’re gonna be late.” 

“Bye, dad,” Lucas said as Penelope dragged him inside. 

Liam chuckled and turned around to head back to his car as the school’s front door closed behind them. He saw Louis was parked next to him. “Hey,” he said. 

“Hi there,” Louis replied. “Sorry about Penny…she can be a little forceful sometimes.” 

“Oh, no…I’m grateful. I wasn’t sure Lucas would go inside on his own,” he said. 

“First days are tough,” Louis said. “And most of the kids here have known each other forever, but Penny will help him.” 

“I appreciate that,” Liam said sincerely. “I’m still going to spend the whole day worrying about him, though.” 

“That’s only natural,” he replied sympathetically. “But a word to the wise…they aren’t going to let you stand here all day no matter how cute you are. Looks a bit weird.” 

“Oh,” Liam said, trying to hide his blush as he looked at the now deserted parking lot. “I took the day off of work in case Luc needed me…but I guess I should head home and get some things done.” 

Louis laughed as he started up his SUV. “I have to head to work myself. I’ll see you later,” he said. 

“Bye. Have a good day,” Liam replied, waving as Louis drove away. 

***

“What did you bring for lunch?” Penelope asked Lucas as she unpacked her Hogwarts themed lunch bag. 

He peeked inside the brown paper bag. “A ham and cheese sandwich, Doritos, and a chocolate pudding,” he replied. 

Her eyes lit up at the mention of Doritos. “I’ll trade you my string cheese for your Doritos,” she offered. 

Lucas considered the offer. String cheese wasn’t really on par with Doritos, but he liked Penelope so he agreed. “Okay,” he decided. 

“Sweet,” Penelope said as they made the exchange. 

“I like your lunch bag,” Lucas said between bites of his sandwich. 

“Thanks! My dad gave it to me for my birthday,” she explained. “Not the dad I live with,” she clarified. 

“I only live with one of my dads too,” Lucas told her. 

Penelope nodded in understanding. “My other dad travels a lot. He got the lunch bag for me when he was in Florida,” she said. 

“Oh, did he go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?” Lucas asked. 

Penelope took a sip from her water bottle. “Um…no…I think he just got it at the airport,” she said. 

“My dad and I went to Universal Studios last year for Christmas,” he told her. 

“Seriously??” Penelope asked in awe. “That’s so cool! Did you get to ride the Hogwarts Express?” 

Lucas nodded his head yes. “Yeah, and we went into the castle and Gringotts and stuff. I even got a wand,” he said. The trip happened right after the divorce and his father had bought him pretty much anything he asked for that week. 

“So lucky,” Penelope said with a sigh. “My daddy says maybe when I’m older we can go for my birthday.” 

“You would definitely like it,” he told her. 

“I can’t believe you got to go on a trip over Christmas. The only thing we ever do at Christmas is decorate the house,” she groaned. 

Lucas laughed a little. “My dad is the same way…but he was sad last year because of the divorce so we didn’t decorate,” he explained. 

“That’s good…I mean not the divorce part, but the not decorating part. My daddy goes Christmas crazy. It’s kind of annoying,” Penelope said. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. The two threw away their trash and headed back to their classroom. 

Lucas could not believe his luck. He met someone who liked all the same stuff he did and had a weird Christmas obsessed dad. Maybe Maple Ridge wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

_Saturday, December 1, 2018_

“So maybe you could like ask Liam some questions about Universal Studios,” Penelope said as she helped carry their take out into the kitchen. 

Liam and Lucas were coming over for dinner tonight and Penelope planned to use this time together to her advantage. 

“Penny, I told you we’re not going to Orlando until you’re older,” Louis said. He set the pizza box in his hands on the counter. 

Penelope deposited the container that held their salad next to it. “But Daddy, Lucas went last year…and he was even younger than he is now,” she pointed out. 

“We’re not talking about Lucas…we’re talking about you,” he replied. 

Penelope sighed. “Okay,” she said. She had done enough negotiating with her father to know there was no getting through to him tonight. 

The doorbell rang. 

“That’s them…can you get the door while I set the table?” Louis asked her. 

“We’re eating pizza at the table?” she replied. Usually they ate in the living room on the weekend and watched a movie. 

“Yesssss,” he replied haughtily. “I don’t want them to think we aren’t civilized.” 

Once again Penelope decided not to press the issue. She scurried over to the door. She started to turn the knob, but then she remembered she was supposed to ask, “Who’s there?” 

“It’s Liam and Luc,” her neighbor replied. 

Penelope turned the knob the rest of the way. “Hello…please come in,” she said politely. She stepped aside and let them into the foyer. 

“Hi sweetheart, how are you?” Liam asked. Lucas offered a little wave. He had something tucked under his arm, but she couldn’t tell what it was. 

“I’m good,” she replied. “My daddy is setting the table…even though it’s pizza.” 

Liam laughed. “I should probably go help him,” he said. “We brought dessert.” 

Penelope looked up at the box of cupcakes in his hand. “Yummy. He’s in the kitchen,” she said and jerked her thumb back. 

Liam headed that way and she turned her attention to her friend. “What did you bring?” she asked. 

Lucas handed her a little box. “It’s Harry Potter Uno…if you want to play,” he said. 

Penelope studied the card game. She smiled up at him. “Yes!” she said happily. 

“Cool,” Lucas said with a small smile. 

She grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the kitchen. “Come on…let’s go eat before my dad takes all the end pieces,” she said. 

***

After dinner Penelope and Lucas settled in the den to play Uno while Liam and Louis sat in the kitchen drinking coffee. 

“I saw you added some inflatables to your lawn,” Louis commented. 

“Oh yeah…I got a good Cyber Monday deal,” Liam explained. 

Louis took a sip of his coffee. “How many are you up to now?” he asked him. 

“Three,” Liam replied. “The snow globe, the sleigh, and now the present,” he ticked off. 

“Cool, cool,” he said. “I think we’re up to twelve this year.” 

“Wow, twelve,” Liam said. “I’ve always been the mind of less is more, but your lawn looks sharp.” 

Louis chuckled. “It’s all in the design…our yard is big enough that we can accommodate all of them without it looking too crowded. Who says size doesn’t matter,” he said with a smirk. 

“I suppose it does,” Liam said with a little chuckle. “You are a golden wreath champion so I will take your word for it,” he added, nodding at the trophy on the windowsill. 

“Three years running,” Louis replied, pumping his fist. “Are you signing up for the contest?” he asked. 

“I actually did. I stopped by Town Hall yesterday afternoon,” Liam confirmed. 

“Ah, well…good luck to you,” Louis said with a smile, offering his hand. 

Liam flashed him a smile of his own as he shook his hand in return. “May the best man win,” he replied. 

_Tuesday, December 4, 2018_

Louis had to go to a teachers’ meeting before school so Liam offered to drop Penelope off at school. When Louis walked Penelope over to the Payne’s house she noticed he took an extra-long look around the yard before knocking on the front door. 

“What’s the password?” Lucas asked from the other side. 

“Fairy lights,” Penelope said through a laugh, giving one of the passwords for Gryffindor tower. 

The door opened and Lucas stood on the other side, smiling. “Hi,” he said to both of them. 

Louis looked between the two of them. “You pair are something else,” he replied with a shake of his head. 

“Good morning,” Liam greeted them, walking up behind his son. 

“Hey there,” Louis replied. “Thank you again for the assist.” 

“No problem,” Liam assured him. “I’m happy to help.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind when I need a back massage,” Louis teased. He leaned down to give Penelope a hug. “Have a good day, Penny. I love you,” he said. 

Penelope returned the hug. “I love you too,” she replied. 

He kissed the top of her head and said goodbye to the Payne boys before heading on his way. 

“Come on in, Penelope,” Liam said, ushering her into the house. “I just have to check my email and we’ll be on our way.” 

“Okay,” she replied. She looked around the house. It seemed to be in a half lived in state. There were a ton of boxes that didn’t appear to be unpacked. 

“It’s kind of messy,” Lucas said to her. “We haven’t had a lot of time to get things organized.” 

“Your yard looks nice,” she offered, trying to be polite. 

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, the yard is all decorated, but I still can’t find half of my books,” he replied. “And my dad doesn’t know where the toaster is.” 

“How do you make Eggos?” Penelope asked, completely scandalized. 

“I’ve been eating cereal every day,” he replied. 

“Ew, gross,” she said to him. 

Liam reappeared in the foyer. “Alright, let’s get a move on, you two,” he said. 

“Did you check your email?” Penelope asked as they stepped outside. 

“Yeah, I had to check the tracking on a package,” Liam said as he locked the front door behind them. 

“Ooo a Christmas present?” Lucas asked curiously. 

“Oh, you think you’re pretty sneaky, huh?” Liam asked, ruffling Lucas’ hair. “Nah, it’s some fresh garland for the railing. Ours is looking a little ratty.” 

Lucas visibly deflated. “Oh,” he replied. 

After they were buckled into their seats Penelope gave his arm a sympathetic pat. 

***

“We need a plan,” Penelope whispered to Lucas. 

It was silent reading time in class. Their teacher, Mrs. Bell, was enthralled in something on her phone so she wasn’t paying attention. 

Lucas looked up from his book and over at his friend. “A plan?” he whispered back. 

“Mmhmm,” Penelope replied. “Both of our dads need to focus on something other than the golden wreath.” 

“Oh, yeah…but what can we do?” Lucas asked. 

Mrs. Bell looked up from her phone and both Lucas and Penelope quickly averted their eyes back to the paperbacks in their hands.

After a minute or so Penelope leaned over again. “They seem to get along, right?” she said. 

“Yes,” Lucas confirmed. 

“Maybe if we can get them to like…go on a date they’ll fall in love and spend all of their time kissing instead of hanging garland!” she revealed excitedly. 

“Penelope! It’s silent reading time,” Mrs. Bell tsked. 

“Oops, sorry,” Penelope said and pretended to zip her lips. 

Once Mrs. Bell was focused back on her phone she turned and looked at Lucas. “What do you think?” she mouthed. 

He was pretty sure grown-ups didn’t just magically fall in love and suddenly stop obsessing over Christmas, but what did he know? His dad was pretty lonely… Louis was nice…and it would be a relief not to think about decorations. He gave her a thumbs up. 

***

“Daddy,” Penelope said to her father over dinner. 

“Yes, lovebug?” Louis said between bites of his spaghetti. 

“Can we go sledding this weekend?” she asked. 

“Hmm…” Louis mused as he collected leftover meat sauce with a slice of bread. 

Penelope could see it in his eyes. He was calculating how much time he needed to spend in the yard vs. how much time he could spend with his daughter. 

“It’s supposed to snow on Friday so the hill should be good for Saturday,” she said. “Maybe Liam and Lucas could come with us,” she added. 

Her plan was twofold. One, she wanted her dad and Liam to spend more time together. Two, she knew if they all went sledding together Louis would like the fact that if he couldn’t decorate neither could Liam. 

“Yeah, why don’t we invite them…that sounds fun,” Louis replied. 

“Yay!” Penelope said, spraying bites of parmesan cheese as she replied.

Louis handed her a napkin. “I can’t take you anywhere.”

***

Lucas was sitting at the kitchen table working on a math problem when the phone rang. He looked at the clock…if that was Penelope…she worked fast. 

“Hello?” Liam asked after he picked up the receiver. “Oh…hi, Ray,” he said, his tone changing when he realized it was his ex on the line. “Yeah, sure…hang on a second…” He turned to look at Luc. “I’m gonna talk to your dad in my office. Can you hang up the phone for me?” 

“Okay,” Lucas replied. If he wasn’t going to talk to his dad in front of him it was not going to be a good conversation. 

“Thanks, buddy,” he said. He kissed the top of Luc’s head before setting the phone down. Less than a minute later he heard his dad call out. “Okay, hang it up now!” 

Lucas got up from the table and dutifully hung up the phone on the hook. He wasn’t trying to listen to the conversation, but he could hear strains of it. Whatever his dad was telling Liam…it wasn’t positive. He heard a lot of “you promised…you said…I thought…”

He turned to look at his unfinished math worksheet. He didn’t feel like completing it right now. 

***

“Oh, there you are,” Liam said when he found Lucas curled up on the couch with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 

Lucas set his book aside. “I needed help with my math so I was just reading until you were off the phone,” he lied. 

“Your dad and I just had to talk about some boring grown-up stuff,” he said. “Everything’s fine.”

“Yeah, okay,” Lucas said, not believing him but not wanting to make things worse. 

Before Liam could say anything the phone rang again. “Now what?” he grumbled as he reached for the cordless phone on the coffee table. “Hello? Oh, hey, Louis,” he said as his scowl turned into a smile. “Saturday? It sounds good to me…let me check with Luc.” He covered receiver with his hand. “Do you want to go sledding with Penelope and Louis this weekend?” 

Not wanting to appear overeager he waited a beat before replying, “That would be fun.” 

“Louis? Yeah, we’re in…okay, great. See you then,” Liam said before hanging up the phone. “That was nice of them to invite us.” 

Lucas nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, it was,” he replied. p>

“Let’s finish that math homework, okay?” Liam suggested. 

“Okay,” Lucas agreed. He tried to check his dad for signs of heart emoji eyes, but he looked the same as always.

__

_Saturday, December 8, 2018_

Louis and Liam had set up base at the top of the hill. Penelope and Lucas were at that stage where they still wanted their parents around, but were big enough to sled themselves. It was a balancing act. 

“So then Ray was like well, Christmas was always more your thing anyway,” Liam huffed. “And I was like oh, I didn’t realize Christmas was a thing…I thought spending time with your son was more than a thing.” 

Louis nodded sympathetically. “That’s really rough, man,” he said to him. 

“It’s just so annoying because he hardly ever spends any time with Luc,” he said. “What do you and your ex do for the holidays?” 

“We trade holidays,” Louis explained. “He’s usually really busy with travel during the winter so he normally takes her for Easter and 4th of July and stuff. And if he’s like available during Christmas he just joins us.” 

“I wish things between us were that amicable,” Liam sighed. 

“Oh, trust me…it wasn’t always that way,” Louis said with a chuckle. “But you’re seeing us years removed from being divorced. You are fresh out of it.” 

“Dad! Did you see that one?!” Lucas exclaimed as he made his way up back the hill. 

Liam turned his attention to his son. “I did, buddy! That was awesome,” he said. 

“Where’s P?” Louis asked. 

“She was right behind…ahh!!” Lucas exclaimed as Penelope pounced on him, knocking him forward into the snow. 

“Penelope!” Louis exclaimed. He was about to yell at her but she and Lucas were laughing too hard for either of them to hear. 

“I’ll race you to the bottom!” she said as she got to her feet and offered him a hand. 

Lucas gave up his hand and scrambled up to his feet. “Yes!” he replied. And they were off again. 

“Sorry about that,” Louis apologized. “She’s a bit rough and tumble. I feel like I apologize for her a lot,” he said with a laugh. 

“It’s fine,” Liam said with a chuckle. “I’m glad they get along so well.” 

“I’m glad she has someone else to talk about Harry Potter with,” Louis snickered. “My eyes glaze over every time I hear his name.” 

“I know right!” Liam laughed. “I owe you an apology, though…seems like I’m always unloading on you. I just feel so comfortable talking to you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Louis assured him. “Like I said…I’ve been there. I want you to know it’s possible to come out on the other side unscathed.”

”I guess Luc and I both made new friends,” he said with a smile.

”I think you’re right,” Louis said with a smile of his own.

“I won!! I won!!” Penelope said as she ran across the snow and crashed into Louis’ arms. 

“Oof!” he said as he caught her around the waist. “No one likes a sore winner, P.” 

“Oh, sorry…it was a close race, Luc,” she said to her friend. 

“I almost had you,” Lucas said good-naturedly. 

Penelope looked up at her father. “You and Liam should sled,” she said. 

“You and me vs. Liam and Luc?” Louis asked her. 

She shook her head no. “You and Liam vs. me and Luc,” she clarified. 

Liam knitted his brow. “I don’t think that would be very fair…” he trailed off. 

“Oh, come on, dad!” Lucas said to him. 

“Are you guys afraid of losing?!” Penelope asked as she got back up to her feet. She knew her father couldn’t resist a challenge.

“It is on now,” Louis declared. “Come on, Liam.” 

Liam just laughed and shook his head. “Alright, but you guys are gonna be sorry,” he told the kids. 

Penelope and Lucas high fived before scrambling onto her sled. Penelope in the back and Luc down low. 

“Umm I suppose I’m a bit taller so you should probably ride in the front,” Liam suggested. 

“You’re not that much taller,” Louis huffed as he sat down first. Liam hid a laugh as he settled behind him, securing his arms around his waist. 

Penelope smiled to herself. “Okay, on the count of three…one…two…three!” she called out. 

Louis and Liam took off down the hill while Penelope held their sled back. 

“What are you doing? They’re gonna beat us,” Luc pointed out. 

“I want them to beat us…that way they’ll have more alone time. Duh, Luc,” she said before pushing them off. 

By the time they got to the bottom Liam was helping Louis to his feet. Penelope swooned a little when she said them holding hands, even if it was only for a second. 

“What took you two so long?” Louis asked her. 

“I couldn’t get a good push off the top,” she lied. 

“We need a rematch,” Lucas added. 

Penelope smiled over at him. He was finally getting with the program. 

***

The foursome spent the rest of the afternoon sliding down the hill and then running back up. They raced as every combination of pairings. It was the most fun Lucas had had in a long time. 

“Can I have peppermint in my hot chocolate, please?” he asked. 

“Ooo me too,” Penelope piped up. 

“Alright, so that’s two peppermint hot chocolates, two holiday coffees, two sugar cookies, a brownie, a piece of chocolate cake,” Louis ticked off to the vendor in Town Square. “And a partridge in a pear treeeeee…or a diabetic coma.”

He laughed. “Coming right up,” he replied and set about making their order. 

“I got it,” Liam said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. 

“No, no…this is on me,” Louis insisted. 

“Alright, well…I got next time,” Liam replied. 

Penelope and Lucas shared a look. “Next time!!” she mouthed excitedly. He smiled back at her. 

Once they had their treats they settled at an empty picnic table. 

“What kind of stuff is there to do around here for Christmas?” Liam asked. 

“Let’s see…there’s caroling, a gingerbread making class, a tree lighting,” Louis ticked off. 

“And Santa comes to visit,” Penelope added eagerly, cookie crumbs flying out of her mouth. 

“Cover your mouth, lovebug,” Louis said, offering her a napkin. 

She took the napkin and wiped at her mouth. “Thank you.” 

“All this fresh air and sugar is making you loopy,” Louis laughed and tickled her sides. 

Penelope laughed and snuggled in against her father. 

“Speaking of messes. You’ve got a little holiday magic on your face,” Louis said and leaned over to wipe some whipped cream off of Liam’s nose.

Liam crinkled up his nose sweetly. “Oops…thanks,” he replied sheepishly.

Penelope inwardly cheered. “Oh, Liam,” she said with a laugh. 

“I swear I wasn’t raised in a barn,” Liam said with a shake of his head. “Hey, maybe we could do some of the Christmas events with you…if you’re into it,” he offered. 

“Yeah, for sure,” Louis replied with a smile. “P and I are down.” 

“What do you say, buddy?” Liam asked Luc. 

“I would like that a lot,” he quickly agreed. 

Lucas could hardly contain his excitement. Today had been amazing. And the stupid outdoor holiday display contest hadn’t even been brought up once! 

__

_Tuesday, December 11, 2018_

“Penny? Have you worked on your letter to Santa yet?” Louis asked her.

Penelope tore her eyes away from the television and focused on her father. “Um, not yet,” she replied.

“You’re cutting it pretty close to Christmas,” he said. “The judging for the decorating contest is twelve days away and Christmas is right after that.”

Penelope restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Of course he would be counting the days according to the stupid contest. “I’ll work on it when this show is over,” she told him.

“Alright, because I’d hate for you to end up with a lump of coal in your stocking,” he said with a shrug.

“Daddy! I’m always good,” she insisted.

“Always?” he asked in a teasing tone.

She relented. “Okay, like most of the time?” she said. “I’ve been helping Lucas at school...that has to count.”

Louis laughed. “I thought you were helping Lucas because he was your friend,” he said.

“Now he’s my friend, but at first I didn’t know if I liked him or not,” she pointed out.

Louis shook his head. “Whatever…just make sure you get it done so I can get it in the mail,” he said.

“I will,” she said with a nod of her head. “Are you working on your list?”

“It’s already done,” he said pompously. 

She raised her eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? What’s on it?” she asked him.

“That’s between me and the big guy,” Louis replied.

“Aw, come on, Daddy…a new iPad? Cool shoes?” she asked. “A friend?”

He tilted his head to the side. “A friend?” he asked.

“You know…like Liam…he’s really dreamy and nice,” she explained.

“You think Liam is dreamy?” he asked her in confusion. 

"And nice! He’s nice! He’d be a good boyfriend,” she said. Sometimes the direct approach was best.

You think I asked Santa for a boyfriend?” Louis asked her.

“You and dad have been divorced for like ever…aren't you lonely?” she asked.

Louis frowned. “Where is all this coming from?” he asked her.

“I was just asking,” Penelope insisted.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ve got you and that’s all I need,” he told her.

Ugh, this was going to be harder than she thought.

***

“Are you serious?” Liam said into the receiver of the phone. “You’re being serious right now?”

Lucas was sitting in the den reading while his dad was on the phone with his other dad. It didn’t take a genius to figure out something was wrong. Liam wasn’t as good at hiding the contents of their phone calls as he thought. 

“I don’t care…that’s not an excuse. I will pay for the ticket. Huh…you were never too good for my money before,” he said wryly. 

Lucas had never wished more that the Hufflepuff blanket wrapped around his shoulders was a portkey. Then he could apparate to anywhere that wasn’t here. He had naively hoped that when his parents divorced the yelling would stop…that was not the case. 

“Fine, yeah…yeah. Goodbye,” Liam said as he ended the call. 

Lucas quickly averted his gaze back to his book when the door to the den opened. 

“Buddy? You in here?” Liam asked. 

“Yeah, I’m here,” Lucas replied. 

“It’s so dark in here,” he said, flipping on the overhead light. “How can you read?” 

“There’s a light on my Kindle,” he said, holding up the device for his father to see. 

“Oh. Well, listen, we need to talk,” Liam said as he sat down next to him. 

Lucas swallowed. “Oh, okay…” he replied. 

Liam opened up his arms and he climbed over into his lap. “I was just talking to your dad and it looks like he’s not going to be able to make it for Christmas,” he told him. 

Lucas had gleaned that from the phone call, but hearing it still stung. “That’s okay,” he said. “We’re going to Aunt Kristen’s, right? So it’ll be good.” 

Liam pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “We are,” he confirmed. “But it’s okay if you’re sad. I know you wanted to see your dad.” 

“I’ll just see him another time. He said we could do something over the summer,” Lucas replied. Though the summer was very far away. 

“He loves you a lot,” Liam said to him. “But he’s got some things he needs to take care of, okay?” 

Lucas nodded and rested his head against Liam’s chest. “Okay,” he said softly. 

“But we are going to have a lot of fun,” Liam said. “I signed us up for that gingerbread class.” 

“Cool, Dad…that will be neat,” Lucas said. Then he had an idea… “Maybe Louis and Penelope could take it too. Louis’ really nice.”

He noticed his father’s eyes light up a little. “You’re right, he is,” Liam agreed. “We could ask them if they want to join us,” he added, trying to keep his tone casual, but Luc knew better. 

“Awesome,” Lucas said happily. 

“I love you so much, bud,” Liam said, giving him an extra tight squeeze. 

“I love you too,” he echoed. 

__

_Wednesday, December 12, 2018_

“Penny!!” Louis called from the front yard. Despite the door being closed Penelope could still hear her father.

She turned around from her spot on the couch and looked out the window. Louis was frantically waving for her to come outside. Fearing the worst she ran outside without bothering to grab her coat.

“What’s wrong?” she exclaimed looking for blood or a missing limb.

“Where’s your coat? It’s freezing out here!” he scolded her.

“Daddy! Why are you yelling?” she asked him.

Louis pointed to the house. Penelope squinted, trying to figure out what the huge emergency was. That’s when she noticed it.

“The front strand of lights on the roof aren’t working,” she said very calmly.

“Go get your coat on! We need to go get a replacement,” Louis said to her.

“Daddy…we have like 100 boxes of spare lights,” she replied.

“Not like those. Remember I found those red and green blinking ones with the hints of gold last year?” he said.

Most of the time she and her father spent shopping was a blur to her. She shrugged helplessly.

“Go back inside and put your coat on. We need to drive to Walmart and pray we can find the same lights,” he instructed her.

“Daddy, it’s like 8:00 and I have school tomorrow,” Penelope said. Walmart was a 45 minute drive.

Louis put his arm around her and ushered her into the house. “Did you finish your homework?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied as she tripped up the front steps and inside.

“Good…you can just sleep in the car. You love sleeping in the car. When you were a baby that’s the only way I could get you to bed. I’d drive around Maple Ridge all night,” he said. He grabbed her coat off the hook and held it out for her to put on. “I did that for you so you could sleep…you can do this for your old dad now.”

***

Penelope was sitting in the cart as Louis trolled the aisles at Walmart. After making a beeline straight for the seasonal section he had found the appropriate lights for the roof (there were at least 50 boxes so a trip that night was totally unnecessary). Now he was wandering the aisles to see if anything else struck his fancy. Luckily he had given Penny his phone so she was entertained enough.

Penelope was jostled when the shopping cart connected with another cart. 

“Sorry about that,” Louis said to whoever he had bumped.

“No worries…” a familiar voice said. Penelope looked up and realized it was Liam. “Oh, hey…I know you,” Liam said with a bright smile.

Louis flashed a smile of his own. “Fancy seeing you here…what’s going on?” 

“We needed a few groceries and then I decided to take a peek at the seasonal stuff,” Liam explained.

Penelope looked over at Lucas. He was seated in the car holding Liam’s cell phone. He gave her a little wave. She waved back.

“Find anything good?” Louis asked peering over into Liam’s cart, his jovial mood turning just a little competitive.

“Just a few decorations for inside,” Liam replied, pointing at some Evergreen branches and a candle.

“Oh, pretty,” Louis said, visibly relaxing. Indoor decorations were not a threat.

“What brings you two here?” Liam asked.

“We just needed a few spare boxes of lights. Always be prepared…that’s what I say,” Louis replied.

Penny stifled a laugh. Since when was her father a Boy Scout?

“That makes sense,” Liam agreed. “Well, we better be on our way. School night and all.”

“Yes, same here. Be careful on your drive home,” Louis said.

“You as well,” Liam echoed.

The two men slowly pulled their carts apart. It was as if they were afraid if they moved too quickly one of them might snatch up the latest and greatest Santa decoration and suddenly have the contest in the bag.

Louis finally turned around and made his way towards the registers before sharping turning left.

“What are you doing?!” Penelope exclaimed, hanging on to the edge of the cart.

“Shh,” Louis hushed her and left the cart between aisles. He peered around the corner.

“What are you doing?” she asked again, whispering this time.

“Groceries? Come on,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I want to see what he’s really up to.”

Penelope faced palmed. “Oh jeez…” she mumbled into her hand. “I thought you liked Liam.”

Louis gripped the bar on the cart again and slowly began to move forward, pausing between aisles and stealthily looking around the corners. “I do like Liam…but he’s also the competition,” he explained. When it finally seemed like he was going to give up so they could go home her father hissed, “I knew it!”

Penelope looked up from the cell phone and saw Liam adding an inflatable reindeer to his cart.

“I’ve always been the mind of less is more,” Louis said, mimicking Liam’s voice. “Now there he goes adding to his lawn.”

Ack, she did not want Liam to overhear. “Daddy, can we please go home?” Penelope begged him.

“Just a second, P. I want to see if they have any inflatables we can put on the porch or maybe hang off the roof,” he replied.

Penelope spread out her coat creating a makeshift bed. “I give up,” she said to herself as she lay down.

__

_Thursday December 13, 2018_

Lucas rubbed his eyes as he sat down across from Penelope at lunch. He and his father hadn’t gotten home until almost 10:00. Just one more thing…Liam kept saying.

Penelope swallowed her bite of sandwich. “What time did you get home?” she asked him.

“Late,” he said as he unpacked his lunch bag. “What about you?”

“Pretty late,” she echoed. “My dad almost took today off to string that stupid new light.”

“My dad works from home so who knows what he’s doing during his lunch break,” Lucas told her.

“I don’t think our plan is working,” she said glumly.

“Maybe we need to do another activity together,” Lucas said handing over his bag of Doritos for her string cheese.

Penelope slid the string cheese across the table before opening the bag of chips. “Yeah…” she agreed. “But I think we need to get them to do something alone.”

“You mean like a date?” Lucas asked her.

“Uh huh,” she said with a nod of her head. “What’s romantic? What kind of stuff did your dads do together?”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t remember and now they’re just mad at each other all the time,” he said. 

“My dads used to be mad all the time too. They get along now, but they don’t do date stuff,” Penelope said. For once in her life she really wished there was more romance in Harry Potter.

“My aunt and uncle go out to eat a lot,” Lucas offered.

Penelope tapped her chin. “Yeah, that could be good…” she said.

“But there’s no like fancy places to eat around here,” he pointed out.

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, I have an idea!”

“You do?” he asked her curiously.

Penelope nodded her head. “Did you used to play restaurant when you were like a little kid?” she asked him.

“I don’t think so,” Lucas replied.

“Well, my friends and I did,” Penelope said. “You pretend to like take the person’s order and you serve it to them.”

“Okay,” Lucas said, not sure what her grand scheme was.

“I’ll have my dad invite you guys over and then you and I can be like the waiters and serve them dinner. That way they’ll have to eat alone,” she explained.

“Is that romantic? Playing restaurant with your kids?” he asked her.

“We can like dim the lights and put candles on the table…and play music!” she suggested.

“But we can’t cook,” he pointed out.

Penelope sighed. “We’ll use take-out, duh,” she said.

“I guess we could try,” Lucas said, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

__

_Friday, December 14, 2018_

“What are you doing?” Louis asked his daughter.

Penny was setting up two electric Christmas candles on the kitchen table. “I thought they looked pretty,” she said innocently.

“O…kay,” Louis said with a chuckle. “You know we’re only having take-out, right?” he asked.

“I know,” she replied. “Are you gonna get the door?” she asked when the bell rang.

Louis just shook his head as he walked out of the kitchen so he could let their guests in. Penelope quickly climbed up onto the counter and retrieved two wine glasses from the cabinet. Wine was romantic, right? She hopped down and set them on the table.

Lucas ran into kitchen with a bag of Chinese food. “Hey,” he greeted her breathlessly. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“I’m positive,” she told him.

“Luc, give me the bag here…I’ll set it up like a buffet,” Louis said as he walked into the kitchen with Liam following behind.

“Oh, actually, Daddy…Luc and I want to play restaurant,” Penelope said.

“You want to play restaurant?” Louis asked her in confusion.

“Yeah, yeah…remember how I used to play that all the time?” she said. “You and Liam will pretend to order and Luc and I will serve you dinner.”

Louis looked down at Lucas. “You want to do this too?” he asked him.

He nodded his head eagerly. “Yeah, it sounds like fun,” he said cheerfully.

Liam laughed. “I wouldn’t mind being waited on,” he replied. 

Louis looked over at his daughter and she smiled. “Please?” she asked.

“Alright,” Louis relented. “Who am I to turn down free service?” 

“Great!” Penelope said. “Luc, show them to their table,” she whispered. 

“Oh, right!” Lucas said. He walked over to the doorway where they were both standing. “How many tonight?” he asked. 

“A table for two, please,” Liam said to him. 

“Right this way,” Lucas said and led them to the dining room table. “Can I get you something to drink?” 

“Penny, did you put wine glasses on the table?” Louis asked her. 

“Who’s Penny? My name is Hermione and I work in the kitchen,” Penelope replied. 

Louis just shook his head as Liam stifled a laugh. “Do you have Coke?” Liam asked Lucas. 

“Is Pepsi okay?” he replied. 

“Pepsi is great,” Liam confirmed. 

“Make that two,” Louis replied. 

“Great,” Lucas said. “Here are your menus,” he said and handed them two paper menus he and Penelope had drawn during their free period at school. 

“When did you make these?” Liam asked as he looked down at some very abstract drawing of what he assumed was chicken. 

“A very professional graphic designer make those for our restaurant,” Penelope piped up. 

“I’ll get your drinks. Please take your time looking over the menu,” Lucas said and he hurried over to confer with his partner in crime. 

“You forgot the glasses,” Penelope whispered. 

“Oops,” Lucas said and ran back to retrieve the glasses. The pair very carefully poured the pop into the drinkware before delivering it back to the table. 

“Did you have enough time to look over the menu?” Penelope asked. 

“Yes, thank you, Hermione,” Louis said to her. “I would like the sweet and sour chicken.” 

“Excellent choice,” Lucas said. “What about you, Dad…I mean, sir?” 

Liam hid a smile behind his hand. “Can I have the beef and broccoli?” he asked. 

“Of course,” Lucas replied. 

“Do you want some egg drop soup to start?” Penelope asked. 

“That would be lovely,” Louis said and Liam nodded in agreement. 

“Let me take the menus from you. We’ll be right back with your soup,” Lucas said, taking the papers from their hands. 

Penelope took the opportunity to reach across the table and flick on the electric candles. She dimmed the overhead light on the way out of the room.

Louis spoke up when the kids were out of earshot. “We’ve got quite some kids, huh?” he said.

Liam laughed. “I’ll say,” he replied. “Mood lighting and everything.”

“The other night Penelope asked me if I was lonely,” Louis said. “And if I was going to ask Santa for a boyfriend.”

“What do you tell her?” Liam asked.

“Oh, naturally I told her I wanted Chris Evans under the tree,” he laughed, leaving out the part where Liam’s looks came up.

“I’d go Chris Hemsworth,” Liam replied. He bit his bottom lip. “I do feel lonely sometimes,” he admitted. “Even when I was with Ray I was alone.”

Louis reached over the table and rested his hand on top of his. “Me too,” he admitted.

“Here’s your soup,” Penelope said, trying not to squeal when she saw her father’s hand on Liam’s hand.

“Thank you, lovebug,” Louis said as he took his hand back.

“Your entrees will be ready shortly,” Lucas added after he placed the bowl of soup in front of his father.

“That sounds great,” Liam said. 

“Do you need anything else?” Penelope asked. “Refills?”

“I think we’re good,” Louis said to her. “Thank you.”

The two backed out of the room into the kitchen, each with a smile on their face.

***

“Are you going to have dinner with us?” Louis asked when the kids brought out their main course.

“We’re just gonna eat in the kitchen,” Penelope explained. “Please let us know if you need anything.” She took Lucas by the hand and guided him into the other room.

Liam laughed. “So…I think we can officially conclude this is a set up?” he asked.

“Oh, no…I think kids normally try and push their parents together just for fun,” Louis said as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork. Suddenly the air was filled with soft music streaming from Louis’ iPod. “Nope, not a set up at all.”

“Actually I was wondering…” Liam said, clearing his throat.

Lucas was about to walk into the dining room to give them extra napkins, but Penelope held him back so Liam would finish his sentence.

“…if you’d be interested in going to the holiday concert at Town Hall with me?” Liam asked. “And maybe we could get coffee afterwards?”

Penelope reached for Luc’s hand and squeezed it tightly. 

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Louis replied without hesitation. “I would love it.”

“O.M.G,” Penny silently screamed and Lucas laughed into the napkins.

__

_Tuesday December 18, 2018_

Louis made a face as he bit into the piece of gingerbread he had just pulled out of the oven. “Is it supposed to be so chewy?” he asked.

“I think you’re supposed to wait for it to cool off,” Lucas said helpfully.

“Ah, probably,” Louis said after taking a drink of milk to help the cookie go down.

Penelope (with ease) talked her father into joining the Paynes for the gingerbread making class. The only hiccup was Liam had to attend a meeting out of town. Louis offered to watch Lucas and have him spend the night. Liam was very grateful when he suggested the idea. 

“Daddy, I think I have flour up my nose,” Penelope said through a sneeze.

“Oh, lovebug…flour is not something that belongs up your nose,” he said with a chuckle. He handed her a napkin. 

Penelope delicately wiped at her nose. “We’re never going to finish our house,” she said.

The trio had been working for almost two hours and were nowhere near having any semblance of a structure.

Louis clapped his hands together. “Alright, I have an idea…deconstructed houses,” he said.

Lucas knitted his eyebrows. “Deconstructed houses?” he repeated.

“Exactly, my man…it’s what all the cool kids are doing, trust me,” he said. Louis scooped up some gingerbread and crumbled it. “Now we add some frosting and maybe ummm…” he grabbed a whole piece that looked like a door. “…yeah that…see?”

Lucas did not see it, but Louis was trying so hard and he was having fun so he nodded. “I see it!” he said with a smile.

“Awesome!” Louis said and gave him a high five. “You two work on that and I’ll make some more frosting.”

“Can it be yellow? Yellow is my favorite,” Lucas said.

“Coming right up,” Louis told him.

They worked in a companionable silence as Christmas carols played in the background. Lucas had mixed feelings about the holiday lately, but tonight he was actually excited about the season.

“Here’s your yellow,” Louis said to him as he handed him the filled piping bag. “Wow, Luc…that is a cool looking house.”

Lucas smiled up at him. “You think so?” he asked shyly.

Louis nodded enthusiastically and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Definitely. You’re doing a great job,” he said.

Penelope scooted over closer to her friend after her father walked away. “Tonight was kind of a bust…since your dad isn’t here,” she whispered.

Lucas looked over at Louis, who was attempting to construct a reindeer out of broken gingerbread pieces. “I dunno…I think it’s been good,” he said with a smile.

__

_Wednesday December 19, 2018_

Liam had barely walked into the Tomlinson’s foyer when his son came bounding towards him.

“Dad!” Lucas said happily and ran to give his father a hug.

“Hey buddy,” Liam said, scooping him up into his arms. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he replied, hugging him around the neck. “Come see the cool stuff we made with Louis last night.”

“Yes, I want to see your gingerbread creations,” Liam agreed.

Lucas scrambled out of his arms and ran towards the kitchen where Penelope was eating a piece of her house.

“Penny,” Louis said with a laugh. “I thought you didn’t like the way the house tasted.”

“I like the frosting,” she explained. “Hi, Liam,” she said, smiling sweetly.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Liam said with a chuckle.

“This is our umm de…de…what’s the word, Louis?” Lucas asked him.

“Your deconstructed house,” Louis supplied.

Lucas nodded his head. “Right…what he said,” he said and proudly showed Liam his finished project.

“I love it,” Liam said. “It’s very modern…you guys did an awesome job. Did you have fun?”

“So much fun,” Lucas said.

“That’s great,” Liam replied. “Why don’t you grab your stuff and we’ll head home?”

“Oh, already? Okay,” Lucas said with a frown as he turned to leave the kitchen.

“Let me help you,” Penny said, sliding off the stool she was sitting on. She followed him upstairs so he could get his backpack.

“Thanks again for watching him,” Liam said turning to Louis.

“You’re welcome. He’s a good kid…no trouble at all,” Louis replied. “He’s welcome anytime.”

“Thank you…and same for Penelope…if you ever need help,” he offered.

“I might take you up on that,” Louis replied.

”We’re still on for Saturday, right?” Liam said, referring to their date for the holiday concert.

“Definitely. I’m looking forward to it,” Louis said, perking up. “You’ll pick me up at 6:30?”

Liam smiled as he nodded his head in confirmation. “I’ll see you then, can’t wait,” he replied.

“I’m ready, Dad,” Lucas said as he and Penelope materialized in the foyer.

“Alright, tell Louis thank you,” Liam instructed him.

Lucas smiled up at Louis. “Thank you for letting me come over. I had fun,” he said.

“Me too. I’ll see you soon, okay?” Louis replied with a smile of his own.

Lucas gave Louis’ leg a quick hug before following his father out the door.

“Penny!” Louis called out after he had closed the front door.

She ran into the hallway. “Yeah, Daddy?” she asked him.

“Did you write your letter to Santa yet?” he asked. “You’re running out of time. We’ve got a busy schedule for the rest of the week.”

“You mean you have a daaaaaaaaaaate,” she teased him.

Louis laughed and picked her up by the waist before dangling her upside down. “I do have a daaaaaaaaate,” he said in a sing song tone.

“I’m excited you have a date,” she giggled. 

Louis’ smile got a little bit brighter. “Me too,” he told her. 

“I like Liam,” she said. 

“I’m rather fond of himself,” Louis agreed. “But we can’t get too distracted. We have to finish getting ready for the contest.” 

Blah, the contest was never far from his mind. “I think you’ve done all you can to the yard,” she said as he righted her. They were now nose to nose. 

“I’m still working on the finale,” he pointed out. 

“I’ll finish writing my letter tonight,” she assured him. 

“Good girl,” he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

__

_Thursday, December 20, 2018_

Liam made a face after he hung up the phone. He had no idea why he bothered taking calls from Ray. He sounded like a broken record…full of the same excuses.

”Is everything okay?” Lucas asked his father as he walked into his bedroom.

Liam sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. “Everything’s okay, buddy,” he assured him.

“We you talking to dad?” he asked him, although he already knew the answer.

Liam’s smile lost a bit of its luster. “Yeah, but nothing you need to worry about,” he said. “Do you want me to read to you?”

Luc nodded his head and handed his father his tattered copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

“Don’t you have this on your Kindle?” he asked him.

“Yeah, but I like the way the book feels,” Lucas explained.

Liam nodded his head. “Makes sense,” he agreed. “Budge over.”

Lucas scooted over so his father had room. Liam wrapped his arm around him and began to read.

***

“Alright, that’s enough for tonight,” Liam said after a few chapters.

“One moooore?” Lucas begged.

Liam laughed. “No, you have school tomorrow and I have to finish working on the yard for the contest before I go to bed,” he said.

“I thought you said you were done,” Lucas replied, trying to hide the whine in his voice. At this rate they were NEVER going to find the toaster.

“Almost,” Liam said as he got up to his feet. “It just needs a few finishing touches.”

Lucas knew if his father won the contest this would become an annual thing. He didn’t think he could handle another Christmas crazy holiday season. While he had been over at the Tomlinson’s house Louis had watched a lot of youtube videos of Christmas decorations contest across the country. Louis had a lot to say about everything the people were doing wrong. He even laughed out loud at one where the owner of the house came out dressed up as Santa at the end.

“Maybe you could dress up like Santa and come out at the end?” Lucas suggested. Surely something Louis had laughed so hard it must be a bad idea.

“Hmm…” Liam said thoughtfully. “Do you think I could pull it off?” he asked.

“For sure!” Lucas said enthusiastically. 

“I’ll think about it. But for now…get some sleep. I love you,” Liam said and leaned down to give him a good night kiss.

“I love you too,” Lucas replied.

__

_Saturday, December 22, 2018_

“Shhhh,” a patron sitting in front of Liam and Louis hushed them.

“Sorry,” Louis said, hiding his mouth behind his hand.

“We’re very sorry,” Liam echoed, unable to keep a laugh from escaping.

Louis elbowed Liam and nodded towards the EXIT. Liam nodded back and they both got out of their seats and headed for the door.

Once they were out of Town Hall they both doubled over laughing. 

“Who the hell told Paul he should play ALL the parts in A Christmas Carol?” Louis wheezed, referring to Maple Ridge’s mayor. “God Bless us…everyone,” he mimicked.

“Oh…my…oh…stop…it hurts…” Liam said through a fit of laughter.

Louis wiped at the corners of his eyes. He checked his watch. “How is there another 45 minutes left of the show?” he asked.

“I’m so sorry…” Liam apologized once he had collected himself. “I didn’t realize our date was going to be so lame. I guess I’m more out of practice then I thought.”

Louis gave his arm a squeeze. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” he told him.

Liam gave him a smile. “Me too,” he said.

Louis looped his arm through his. “Come on…let’s get our post-show coffee before the masses are let out,” he said.

Liam led them over to the coffee and dessert table. Luckily it wasn’t being manned at the moment. They filled up a plate each and went to sit in Liam’s car.

Louis blew on his cup of coffee. ”Have you hammered out your holiday plans?” he asked Liam. He knew there had been a bit of back and forth with his ex.

“Yeah, we’re going to my sister’s…as usual. Ray said he’d try to make it for New Years, but I’m not holding my breath,” Liam replied. “What about you?” 

“My sister is going to come over in the afternoon,” Louis explained. “We’ll probably visit my parents for New Years. Sebastian said he’d make it to that.” 

Liam nodded his head and reached over to take a brownie off of Louis’ plate. 

“Hey!” he said and lightly tapped his hand. “Why didn’t you get your own brownie?” 

“It looks more appealing in the light of the car,” Liam explained. 

Louis relented and let him take the brownie for himself. “So tomorrow is the big day. Are you ready for the contest?” he asked him. 

Liam raised his free hand and made the OK sign. “We’re all set. The finale is gonna be great,” he replied. 

“I look forward to it,” Louis said. “Just try not to be too sad when my house wins.” 

“Aren’t you sassy,” Liam laughed. “May the best house win.” 

“Hear, hear,” Louis said, snatching a cookie from Liam’s plate. 

Liam scrunched up his face in a pout. 

“It looked goooood,” he teased him. “Hey, maybe when you get back from your sister’s place you guys could come to ours for dessert?” he suggested. 

“Yeah? That would be great,” Liam said happily. “Lucas would love that.” 

“Penny too,” Louis echoed. “Do you think we should let them know their little scheme worked?” 

Liam laughed. “I was going to ask you out before the whole dinner set up,” he revealed. 

“Seriously?” Louis said, puffing up his chest. “Was it because of my devilishly good looks?” 

“Those did not hurt, but…I dunno. Just being around you…you make everything better,” Liam said softly. 

Louis relaxed in his seat and gave him a genuine smile. “I do?” he asked. 

“You really do. I’m really happy we moved here and met you,” Liam said sincerely. 

Louis leaned over and Liam met him halfway. Their lips pressed together, sending a shiver down Liam’s spine. “I’m really happy you did too,” he whispered after the kiss ended. 

__

_Sunday, December 23, 2018_

Penelope was sitting on the front porch of her house watching her father run around like a chicken with his head cut off. 

“P, come here…” Louis called to her. “I need your hands…they’re small.” 

Penelope dutifully ran over to her father. “Is that all I’m good for?” she asked. 

“It doesn’t hurt,” Louis said, tugging her down so she was kneeling next to him. “Can you tie a knot so Frosty stops flapping?” 

“He wasn’t flapping,” she said as she tied the string to the stake in the ground. 

“He was flapping,” Louis insisted. “We can’t afford any mistakes today.” 

“Whatever you say, Daddy,” Penelope said as she secured the knot. She hopped back up to her feet as Louis examined the inflatable. She looked over at Lucas’ yard and saw Liam readjusting some lights on the porch. Lucas was standing behind him looking about as enthused as she felt. She waved at him. Lucas tugged on Liam’s coat and leaned up to ask him something. He nodded his head and Lucas ran over to Penelope’s house. 

“Hi, hi,” she greeted him.

“Hey,” he replied. “Is today over yet?”

“Almost, thankfully,” she said. “Did your dad say anything about last night?” she whispered.

“He didn’t say anything exactly, but he was really smiley today,” Lucas said.

Penelope smiled herself. “My dad too,” she replied. “He said you and your dad are coming over for dessert on Christmas.”

“We are?!” Lucas said excitedly. 

“Yep,” she confirmed with a smile.

“Penny! I’m going inside to get ready. The judges will be here in twenty minutes,” Louis called to her.

“Okay, Daddy!” she called back. She turned to Lucas. “I better go inside, but we did it!!” She held up her hand for a high five. 

Lucas slapped her hand back. “See you later,” he said and jogged back to his house.

***

Louis wanted the finale to be a total surprise so he stayed inside the house while the judges made their way down the block. He sent Penelope outside to keep an eye on things. 

“Whose house are they at now?” he asked into the receiver. 

Penelope craned her neck. “They’re just walking up to Luc’s house,” she said into her father’s cell phone. 

“Do they seem like they like it?” Louis asked her. 

“Umm, it’s hard to tell. They’re taking a lot of notes. Lucas is on the porch playing music from his iPod,” she said. 

“You can see Lucas on the porch?” Louis asked. 

“Yep,” she confirmed, popping the P. 

“It’s better if you do the music like we do…hooked up to the speakers. No one wants to actually see the work behind the scenes,” Louis said. 

Penelope rolled her eyes. She was about to hang up when she saw the front door of the Payne’s house open. 

“What’s happening now? Should I get ready?” Louis asked. 

Penelope squinted through her glasses. They were fogging up because of the slight rain that was starting to fall. “Oh no…” she whispered when she saw Liam in a full Santa costume. 

“Oh no? What do you mean oh no?” Louis asked her. 

“Umm…ummm…” she stammered. 

“Penny! What’s going on?” Louis demanded. 

“Liam’s dressed up as Santa,” she finally revealed. She knew her father’s reaction wasn’t going to be good so she pulled the phone away from her ear. 

“HE’S WHAT????” Louis screamed.

Penelope heard some commotion on the other end of the phone before it went silent. She turned and saw the front door of her house fly open. Out came her father in a full Santa costume. 

“He stole my idea!!” he exclaimed. 

Before Penelope could say anything Louis was already halfway up Liam’s walkway. 

“Louis?” Liam asked in confusion. “Is that you?” 

Penelope ran across the lawn towards Lucas, who was standing stock still on the porch. 

“Of course it’s me…you know it’s me! You stole my idea!” he yelled. 

A look of confusion crossed Liam’s face. “What do you mean I stole your idea?” he asked him. 

“For the finale of your display you came out dressed up as Santa! That’s my finale!” Louis shouted. “Was this all part of some weird scheme to win?” he asked him. “Is that why you asked me out last night? So that you could leave your son in my house and he could spy on my plans and report back to you?” 

“Are you serious!?” Liam exclaimed, absolutely losing it when Louis brought Lucas into it. “How dare you accuse us of something like that!” 

Lucas felt his stomach twist up into a knot. “Oh, no…”

Penelope climbed up the side of the porch to join her friend. “What’s wrong?” she whispered, noticing Lucas’ face had gone white as a ghost. 

Lucas looked over at her, his eyes welling up with tears. “This is all my fault…” he said softly. 

“How is this your fault?” Penelope asked in confusion. 

“I gotta get out of here!” he said before turning around and jumping off the side of the porch into a snow mound. 

“Wait!” Penelope exclaimed and chased after him. 

Lucas ran without having any idea where he was going. This whole blow up was because of him. If he hadn’t told his dad the stupid idea about dressing up as Santa none of this would have happened. Louis would still like him. He wouldn’t be yelling about him being a traitor. 

Finally he couldn’t run anymore and he stopped in front of Town Hall. There was a small crowd gathered in front. Santa had visiting hours tonight for anyone with last minute requests. 

“I didn’t think you were ever going to stop,” Penelope wheezed as she fell onto the bench beside him. 

“Why did you follow me? Aren’t you mad at me too?” he asked her sadly. 

“I’m not mad at you. I don’t understand why you’re so upset,” Penelope said. 

“Because my dad stole your dad’s idea and now he’s mad at me,” Lucas told her. 

“Umm, Luc…it’s Christmas. It’s not like dressing up as Santa is some really original thing,” she pointed out, finally catching her breath. 

Lucas sighed and sat down next to her. “The other night my dad said he wanted to come up with an idea for the finale. I remembered your dad watching a video where the guy dressed up as Santa at the end of the contest in his hometown. Your dad was laughing really hard so I figured it must be a dumb idea. So I told my dad to do it because I figured if he ended with a bad idea he wouldn’t win and then we wouldn’t have to do this stupid contest again next year. I didn’t know your dad was going to do it!” he said all in one breath. 

Penelope’s face softened. “Oh, Lucas…you didn’t do anything wrong,” she assured him. 

“But everyone’s mad,” he sniffled. 

She put her arm around his shoulders. “I mean…yeah, they’re mad…but not at you,” she said. “This contest is making them crazy.” 

Lucas took a few deep breaths and rested his head on her shoulder. “What are we going to do?” he asked her. 

Penelope looked over her shoulder at Town Hall. “Come on…I have an idea,” she said. 

***

After being officially disqualified from the contest due to “unsportsmanlike behavior” Louis and Liam sat side by side on the front porch. Two dejected Santas. 

“So Lucas must have seen the video I was watching where the guy dressed up as Santa and told you to use it as your finale,” Louis said to him. “Not realizing it was part of my plan.” 

“I told you he wasn’t a spy,” Liam replied rather sourly. 

Louis crinkled up his face. “Yeah…I’m sorry I said that. I kind of took this whole thing and ran with it,” he said. 

Liam sighed. “We both did. I was putting so much pressure on making this holiday special I kind of lost sight of it. Lucas was just trying to help,” he said. 

“I owe him an apology,” Louis said. He paused for a second, worry now coloring his face. “Wait…where are the kids?” 

Liam made a face as he scanned his yard and then Louis’. “Did they go inside?” he asked. 

Louis jumped up to his feet. “PENNY! LUCAS!!” he yelled. 

Liam bolted to the front door and pulled it open, shouting inside, “Kids?!! Are you in there??” 

Louis ran across the lawn and up his front porch. “PENELOPE! LUC!!” he yelled into his house before running inside. “Where are you??” 

“Are they here?” Liam called out from Louis’ doorway. 

“Liam, call the…”Louis trailed off. Something caught his eyes. Penelope’s letter to Santa was sitting on the table. 

__

Dear Santa,

Hi, my name is Penelope Tomlinson. I live in Maple Ridge. There are only a few things I want for Christmas this year. I’d like a new Kindle, all of the Harry Potter books with the cool covers, and a fuzzy purple sweater. But most of all I’d like my daddy to stop doing the outdoor holiday display contest. It ruins all the fun of the season. Love, Penelope __

Louis looked up at Liam. “I know where they are…” he said.

***

“We’ll explain everything and he’ll make it right,” Penelope said to Lucas as they waited in line to meet Santa. 

“Are you sure he can fix it?” Lucas asked. “Things got really messed up.” 

“Santa can fix anything,” Penelope insisted. “It’s his job.” 

“PENELOPE!” Louis yelled as he ran into Town Hall. 

The two looked over their shoulders and saw Louis running up the middle with Liam right behind. 

“You can’t just run all over town!” Louis exclaimed as he leaned down to scoop her up for a hug. 

“Are you okay, buddy?” Liam asked, kneeling down to get on Luc’s level. 

“I’m really really sorry,” Lucas said, tearing up all over again. “I didn’t mean to mess up the contest like that.” 

“Oh, sweetheart. You didn’t mess anything up,” Louis said, holding Penny in his arms and looking down at the little boy. 

“I thought you didn’t like the Santa idea so I told my dad to do it because I didn’t want him to win the contest,” Lucas explained. 

“Why didn’t you want us to win the contest?” Liam asked. 

“Because then you would have made us enter every year,” Lucas said. “And I don’t want to do it every year.” 

“Neither do I,” Penelope spoke up. “It messes up Christmas.” 

“I saw your letter to Santa. Why do you think the contest ruins everything? I thought you liked when we worked together,” Louis said. 

Penelope sighed. “Because WE don’t actually do anything. You plan all of it and I just…kind of stand there and hold lights,” she said. “We didn’t even put up any of the decorations I made at school and stuff because you said it didn’t go with the theme.” 

Louis frowned. “Oh, I didn’t realize…” he trailed off. 

“And our house still isn’t unpacked!” Lucas piped up. “You were so worried about the outside of the house we never made the inside a home.” 

“How is Lucas supposed to have Eggos?!” Penelope piped up. Lucas nodded in agreement. 

Liam’s whole body kind of slumped. “I really messed up, huh?” he said to him. 

“I just want to hang out with you and like…do fun stuff. Not spend all our time hanging garland,” Lucas said. 

“I’m really sorry, buddy,” Liam apologized as he gathered Lucas into his arms and hugged him tightly. 

“Me too,” Louis said and pressed a kiss to Penelope’s forehead. “And I need to apologize to you too, Luc.” 

“You’re not mad?” Lucas asked, looking up at him. 

“I’m not mad at all,” Louis assured him. “You two were right. Liam and I had our priorities all messed up. We won’t do the contest ever again.” He leaned down to give Lucas a hug. 

“Can we still have dessert on Christmas together?” Lucas asked, burying his face against Louis’ shoulder. 

“You bet, buddy,” Louis assured him. 

“Thanks,” Luc said with a smile. 

“Is there anything else we need to talk about?” Liam asked them. 

“Oh, one thing…” Penelope spoke up. “We kind of tried to get you guys to fall in love so you’d kiss a lot and not decorate so much,” she admitted. 

Louis feigned a shocked look on his face. “What? Are you serious?” he teased her. 

“We never would have known!” Liam said with a laugh. 

“Wait a second! You knew?!” Lucas asked, totally scandalized. 

“But guess what…” Louis said with a smile. He leaned over to kiss Liam on the lips. “It worked.” 

__

_Wednesday, December 25, 2019_

Penelope looked ahead. Platform 9 ¾ loomed in front of her. As a surprise for her birthday Louis announced that the four of them were going to spend the Christmas holidays at Universal Studios…home of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!

”Just keeping running forward and don’t stop,” Lucas coached her. “You’ll be fine.” He was an old pro after all.

Penelope nodded her head. She peeked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw her father and Liam holding hands. 

Louis held his phone up in his free hand, set to record. “Go ahead, lovebug!”

“Come on, Penny!!” Liam cheered. He had finally earned the honor of calling her by her nickname. “You’re holding up the line!!” Lucas teased.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!” Penelope squealed as she ran through the makeshift platform.

Her life could seriously NOT get any better!

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you thought of the story!


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